Travelling theatre invites children in the northern region of Montenegro to go to preschool

ROZAJE/BIJELO POLJE, Montenegro, 20 June 2015 – Within the UNICEF’s campaign "Preschool for All", children from Bijelo Polje and Rozaje had an opportunity to see a play of travelling theatre performed by famous Montenegrin actors and students of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts. The performance, directed by professor Sanja Garic, shows the first day in kindergarten and all the magic that socializing with peers in kindergarten brings. Not even the rain prevented kids to take part in the performance and join actors in singing, playing and exercising.

“I really liked the way we were drawing and dancing. We sang about the rain.”

“We spun around, that is the only thing I did.”

Actress, Katarina Krek, points out that travelling theatre is trying, through dramatic play, to promote kindergarten and make it more familiar to children. “As children living in the north of the country do not have so many opportunities, since their parents do not work, or their mothers or relatives are taking care of them at home, they do not go to kindergarten. You can see here how important it is for children to socialize, and be a part of the community.”

A recent survey conducted by Monstat and UNICEF shows that the enrollment rate of children in preschools is the lowest in the northern region of Montenegro. Enrollment rate is lowest in Rozaje, where only 10 per cent of children aged 3 to 6 attend preschool.

The same survey has shown that parents do not recognize the educational role of kindergarten. One in five believes that primary role of preschools is to serve as a day-care and assistance to working parents. For that reason, one of the goals of UNICEF campaign "Preschool for All" is to inform parents on how attending preschool influence proper child development.

Famous Montenegrin actors say that the fondest childhood memories are those related to their time spent in kindergarten. Famous actor Slavko Kalezic tells a story about his adventures in kindergarten. “Believe it or not, I started loving beans in kindergarten, and every time my mother prepares it, or when my late granny used to prepare it, that smell takes me back to that period of my childhood.”

His colleague, actress Branka Stanic, recalls that she liked the most when all children in kindergarten were creative together. “When we did something like this – we melt a candle, make edges on a drawing and spill the colors all over it. I do not know the name of that technique, but I still have that picture at home.”

Scientific studies worldwide show that high quality preschool education leads to better educational achievements, adequate child development and reduction of the unemployment rate which supports socio-economic development of the country. Therefore, investing in preschool education is considered to be the most cost-effective investment for improvement of the whole society.